Fire Experts Expect Northwest Colorado to Have “Normal” Fire Season

Predictive Services with the National Interagency Fire Center calculates the wildland fire potential for this fire season to be normal in the Rocky Mountain Area. However, even in normal years wildland firefighters are busy during summer months and there are periods of extreme fire potential as weather and fuel conditions change.Precautions need to be observed when using fire outdoors as dead fuels from last year will carry fire. Several agriculture burns have escaped the intended burn areas this spring. Firefighters have responded to about 10 spring fires so far.Drought conditions have eased in northwest Colorado due to autumn rain and abundant snowpack. Green-up is well underway at lower elevations with snow is still evident in high country locations.Western Moffat and Rio Blanco counties will experience higher fire danger earlier than Routt, Jackson and Grand counties, which is typical for northwest Colorado.You should call your Sheriff’s office if you plan to conduct debris or agricultural burning.